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Topic: How to....make a hive tool (Read 5947 times)

To buy a stainless steel hive tool at my local suppliers is around Â£10 ($18 ).

I couldn't understand why they were so expensive, so got some of the guys in our engineering department to cut me two strips of stainless steel.

I then bent the ends using a vice.

The final stage was to add a "curve" to make it more comfortable for your hands to grip. I used an "angle-grinder" (or disc grinder perhaps in the US?), anyway, I marked a curve on using a lid from a honey bucket, and a marker pen, and then used the grinder to remove most of the waste. I finished up by using a bastard file (half round) to smooth out the inaccuracies caused by the grinder.

I them sprayed with some primer, some day-glo paint (so I can see them in the grass when I drop them!) and some laquer to provide a protective outer coat. I used a vibrating engraver to write my name on, so that at the club teaching apiary everyone knows who's they are (they get left behind, put in peoples pockets, dropped etc)